Archive for June 2011

After trading the 22nd pick to Toronto for the 30th and 39th, the Ducks select Rickard Rakell. Well I said Murray wanted a center and he didn’t get one.

TSN Scouting says
“The only 1993-born player to compete for Sweden at WJC. Scored 43 points as an OHL rookie in 49 games before a high ankle sprain sidelined him in late February. He returned for just one playoff game.

Strengths – Good work ethic, competes effectively along the boards, strong skater with a quick burst and shiftiness, rarely takes a shift off, reads the play well, decent hands. Adapted quickly to the North American game.

Weaknesses – Relies more on hard work than offensive puck skills, limited creativity. NHL Upside – High energy third line winger who can use his speed to create offensive opportunities.”

That was written by Grant McCagg.

NHL Central Scouting’s Al Jensen
“He’s a good energy guy with a good work ethic and hustle. He forechecks hard, he bangs and is very responsible defensively. I really like his upside. He’s one of those guys who the coach can throw out there and know what you’re going to get. He has great balance and good skills and is physical. I can see him having an impact in the (NHL) two or three years down the road.”

I am ok with this. Center was a big concern with Murray and no one wanted to part with an earlier pick or at least at a price the Ducks were willing to pay. At 22 he could have reached for Rakell but at 30 its a good/ok pick. Now what Murray does with the 39th pick will be interesting. He needs to have someone fall. Maybe Saad or maybe Gibson? Who knows but that is part of the fun of draft day.

It’s draft day. I have said before that the Ducks like to build from within and that is why this day is so important. The future of both the Ducks and Crunch will rely on these kids at some point. Last year the Ducks got extremely lucky in the first round. Cam Fowler fell to 12th and Emerson Etem fell to 29th. Add the fact that Devante Smith-Pelly was grabbed in the second and that’s a hell of year regardless of who ever else you get. So here we are at 2011. Who will the Ducks go after? Well let’s get in to that after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

We believe that finally, after months of speculation and going back and forth, the Ducks and the Crunch will be affiliated for at least another year. Howard has finally made a definite statement to that effect to the Syracuse Post Standard, as reported through Twitter. The agreement will carry both teams through the ’11-’12 season, and also contains an option for the ’12-’13 season, something that will have to be decided on midway through next year.

The Post’s Twitter quote is:

Dolgon says he’s not negotiating with any other possible affiliate and he’s moving on under presumption Ducks will remain parent team.

Bob Murray talked this weekend at the open house at Honda Center. He has some interesting things to say and I thought you Crunch fans might want to have a look. Ok so I would embed it but the NHL video player is being stupid right now. Or maybe I just am. Either way just copy and paste the damn thing.

Former Crunch defensemen Aaron Rome is the subject of much water-cooler fodder this morning after his hit on Boston’s Nathan Horton put the talented winger in the hospital. The Bruins would respond by lighting the lamp eight times to half Vancouver’s Stanley Cup finals lead, but Horton’s status for the rest of the series remains in question. Rome received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for the hit. He has a hearing with the league scheduled for 11 a.m. this morning.

Rome was a member of Syracuse’s 2007-08 team that reached the second round of the Calder Cup playoffs, though he did not appear in that postseason. He was not a complete stranger to controversy in his AHL career, but never developed a repuation for being a dirty player either.